


From Above

by LinksLipsSinkShips



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Childhood, Gen, Growing Old, Imaginary Friends, Internalized Homophobia, Major character death with a happy ending, lifelong friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-05-04 00:51:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14581335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinksLipsSinkShips/pseuds/LinksLipsSinkShips
Summary: “My mom says I’m too old to keep talking to you,” Link said. “She said twelve is too old to keep having an imaginary friend.”“Did you tell her I’m not imaginary?” Rhett asked. He’d watched Link grow through the years, and he’d grown, too, right along with Link.





	From Above

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shewasjustagirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shewasjustagirl/gifts).



Link sat in the living room, muttering to himself and pushing a car around the carpet. It wasn’t unusual, his mother knew, for only children to talk to themselves, entertain themselves, but Link always seemed to be in his own little world.

“Who are you talkin’ to, sweetie?”

“Rhett,” Link answered.

“Well, Rhett, it’s nice to meet you,” she answered to the thin air next to Link.

“Mom,” Link whined, “you’ve already met him!”

She hadn’t, though. Or at least, Link hadn’t formally introduced her to his imaginary friend, which weren’t unusual for only children to have either, according to Link’s teacher. The problem with Rhett, though, was that Link was having trouble connecting to  _ real  _ children in his first grade class. At recess, Link exclusively played with Rhett. It had started when Link wrote profanities on his desk --  _ hell  _ and  _ dam _ , if Sue recalled correctly -- and had blamed Rhett for having the idea. Rhett seemed to be quite the influence on Link, and sometimes that was okay, helping him have a little companionship when he was home playing by himself, but sometimes that was frustrating, like when Rhett was to blame for Link staying in for recess.

If Link didn’t start making real friends soon, Sue would have to start talking to Link about Rhett leaving, but for now, she stood in the doorway and watched as her son carried on his half of a conversation, driving the car for both himself and for Rhett, the imaginary, invisible being beside him.

* * *

 

Link sat on a treehouse platform, the one that his stepfather Jimmy had built for him. It had only ever gotten as far as a platform, but that was good enough, Link figured. He hung his legs over the side, swinging them back and forth below him looking at the ground several feet down. He turned to Rhett and bumped his shoulder against Rhett’s, a gentle nudge.

“My mom says I’m too old to keep talking to you,” Link said. “She said twelve is too old to keep having an imaginary friend.”

“Did you tell her I’m not imaginary?” Rhett asked. He’d watched Link grow through the years, and he’d grown, too, right along with Link.

“She doesn’t get it, man. I mean, would you believe somebody if they tried to tell you they had a real friend, but he’s invisible? It  _ does  _ kind of seem unbelievable if you think about it,” Link sighed. “I mean, I’m not… I’m not going to get rid of you or anything, or ask you to leave me alone. But I also probably can’t talk about you as much. Or maybe I can’t talk to you. Maybe I’ll just have to meet you here sometimes or something, you know?”

“You mean I can’t come with you everywhere? Is that what you’re saying?” Rhett asked, furrowing his brow.

“I mean it’s just hard to explain. I don’t know.” Link curled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them. Rhett, same as always, rubbed a soothing hand over his spine.

“It’s okay. I get it,” Rhett offered. “I’ll just wait for you here. This can be our place, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Link said. He could hear his mother calling out the door for dinner, and he leaned over to give his best friend a hug. “I’ll come see you tomorrow. Promise.”

  
Link  _ did _ come see him for a while, too, but as Link got older, turned fourteen, fifteen, he didn’t climb up there as much. Rhett missed him, but he stuck to his word. He would keep waiting for Link on the treehouse platform. Eventually, Rhett figured, he’d come back.

* * *

 

Having gone far too fast around a curve, Link found himself in a ditch. He was squashed, stuck between the driver’s side of the overturned car and other people. He wasn’t quite sure how he was going to get himself out of the mess, and he’d just gotten his truck, too. If the truck ever ran again, it’d be a miracle. Link’s eyes fluttered shut, blood spilling from a gash in his head.

“Stay with me, Link.”

Link’s eyes blinked open again. “Rhett?” It was hard to tell. Two, three years had changed Link, started shaping him into a young man, and the time had changed Rhett, too. He looked different now, but he still had the same big ears and wide grin Link remembered.

“I’ve got you. Just hold on.” Rhett was under him, with Link pressed against him tightly, and he could feel Rhett cradling him, keeping him safe. “You’re lucky you didn’t get any broken ribs, Link.”

“I think you broke my fall,” Link said, groaning and wincing. “Are you okay?”

Rhett glanced down at himself, completely uninjured. “I’m fine. Come on, let’s get you out of here.” Rhett’s strong arms wrapped around Link, lifting him out the passenger window until Link could pull himself out the rest of the way.

The blood on his head was barely trickling now, but Rhett put a hand over the cut anyway, holding still and keeping the blood from dripping in Link’s eyes. “You’re going to be okay. I’m here. You’re going to be alright.” Rhett talked Link through it, tried to keep his mind off the blood. “We’re going to walk to that house over there and call your grandfather, okay?” Link nodded.

“Thanks, Rhett,” Link said. He didn’t know what made Rhett show up right then, but he appreciated it more than he knew how to express.

“I’ve got you, bo.”

* * *

The river was ice cold and it felt like knives stabbing through him. He couldn’t move his limbs, slushing through the water and trying to make his way through the cold. But his body felt too heavy, his clothes pulling him down. It was like trying to walk through setting concrete.

_ Stupid, stupid, stupid _ .

He couldn’t get out. This was going to be a really dumb way to die, Link figured. Swimming alone in the middle of February, even on an unseasonably warm day, was the worst idea he’d ever had.

Just as Link was giving up, letting himself sink, lungs burning and desperate for air, arms wrapped around his waist.

“Kick, Link.” The words were as clear as day, even in the river water that covered his head. He opened his eyes, the icy water stinging at him, and he tried to do what the voice told him. “Keep kicking.” His body felt weak, each movement nearly impossible. It didn’t matter, though. The arms around him were pulling him up and out of the water, throwing him onto the river bank.

“Th-th-thanks, R-rhett,” Link said, his teeth chattering and lips blue. It was easy to recognize Rhett this time. It had only been two years since he’d seen him last, and Rhett looked older, lankier, longer, but not much different than he’d looked when Link crashed the truck. Link looked about the same, too, hair a little longer and wilder, facial hair growing out, but he was still just  _ Link _ .

“Come on, let’s get these wet clothes off of you. The air is cold but it’s going to be a lot colder if you keep them on. Dry off, and I’ll help you back across.” Rhett helped Link disrobe, then laid his clothes out to dry in the sunlight. He wrapped his long arms around Link and held him, rocking him slowly until Link’s teeth stopped chattering quite so hard. “See? You’re going to be okay.”

* * *

Link was in the closet. Literally  _ and  _ metaphorically. He laughed at his own thought, his own joke, in the darkness. Darkness. That was another thing he was in both literally and metaphorically.

“God,” Link prayed in the closet. “If… if you are there… if you don’t hate me, why am I like this? Can you make it stop? Please?”

Silence.

“I don’t want to like boys,” Link said to himself in the safety of his closet in his room, in the darkness that surrounded him. “I don’t want to be like this. I know it’s wrong. I know it’s a sin. Please don’t hate me, God.” Link had a single room in college. He wasn’t afraid anyone would hear him. But for some reason, saying these words in the small closet space provided in his room made him feel safer, better.

“I’ll find a good girl, God,” Link promised. “I’ll find her, and I’ll take care of her, and I’ll even try to love her. Just please don’t hate me for being like this,” Link pleaded with God.

“He doesn’t hate you,” Rhett said. “He’s not going to hate you for that.”

“You don’t know that,” Link snapped, not even asking why his friend was there or how he’d managed to show up out of nowhere right when Link felt more alone than he’d ever felt in his life.

“Link, I don’t know how anybody could ever hate you,” Rhett said. He put his hand on Link’s wrist, pulling it toward him and holding his hand. Link jerked away at first, but stopped himself, letting Rhett comfort him. “You’re a really good person. You love people with your whole heart. You take care of your mom and help her out as much as you can. You are good to your friends.”

“If I was good to my friends, I wouldn’t keep leaving you behind, would I?” Link said sadly.

“You’re growing up, Link,” Rhett reminded him. “You don’t need me as much as you used to.”

“I still miss you,” Link said, sniffling and wiping at his runny nose. Curled into himself like that, he almost looked like a kid again.

“Maybe I can stay a while,” Rhett offered. “I can stay in your room, stick around here only when you need me. Would that help?”

Link nodded. He felt so alone. Even with his family, even with his friends, he felt alone in this secret that he held inside of him. Link wondered if Rhett would stay if he knew, wondered if Rhett had heard him tell God about his lustful thoughts.

“You know whatever you do, you’re still a good person, Link. I really believe that.”

“I’m not, though. I’m sinful, Rhett. I have… I have thoughts I shouldn’t have, and… and they’re wrong,” Link cried. He wanted Rhett to know before he promised to stay. But Rhett brushed away the tears.

“It’ll be okay,” Rhett said. “It’s all going to be okay. You’re good, Link. Nothing changes that.”

Rhett stayed in Link’s dorm for a while, just like they’d agreed, but when Link met Christy, a student at a neighboring college, she began spending more time hanging out in Link’s room, and there was less time for Rhett to hang around. So once again, he stepped back, faded away, and let Link do the things Link needed to do. Sometimes, Rhett imagined Link even seemed happy.

* * *

 

“She’s beautiful, Link,” Rhett said. Link sat, mostly asleep, in a chair, rocking his first child in the hospital. Christy was sound asleep beside him, snoring softly, and Link couldn’t be sure he wasn’t dreaming. The only thing that made him think it was real was that Rhett looked different from when he’d last seen him, older, with a little more facial hair.

“She is,” Link agreed. “She looks just like Christy,” he said.

“Really?” Rhett responded. “I think she looks a lot like you.”

“Thanks, man,” Link sighed. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

It happened too fast for Link to fully understand what was going on. He was opening a Barbie on Christmas morning and then suddenly he was bleeding. He felt weak, faint, and his body was shaky and unsteady. Just as he knees gave out beneath him, he saw the flash of Rhett out of the corner of his eye.

He was too far gone to call out to him, instead collapsing into his father-in-law’s arms, the world going dark.

“Link? Link… wake up, Link…” It wasn’t the voice Link expected to hear, and wasn’t exactly the one he’d  _ wanted  _ to hear, but he opened his eyes to it all the same. Usually in moments like this, Rhett would be the one he’d open his eyes to see. Instead, he blinked himself out of the darkness and looked into the eyes of his father-in-law. “There we go. Let’s go get you cleaned up,” his father-in-law said, lifting him to his feet.

“I think I’ve got it now,” Link said, still a little woozy. He steadied himself against a wall, walking back to the bathroom in the hallway. His priority should have been cleaning the cut, but first he let the water run, cupping some in his uninjured hand and splashing it on his face.

“You okay?” Rhett asked, and Link looked in the mirror to see him. “Here.” He took Link’s hand and ran it under the water, the blood tinging the water pink before it swirled down the drain.

“Thanks,” Link said.

“You don’t need me anymore, do you?” Rhett asked sadly. “Look at you, surrounded by so much love, so many people. I’m really happy for you, Link.”

“Are you saying goodbye?” Link asked quietly.

“Link,” Rhett said, placing a hand against his cheek. “It’s time. But if you need me, all you have to do is look for me.”

“You know I’m not good at keeping in touch,” Link said. A tear slipped down his cheek.

“It’s okay,” Rhett said. He handed Link a bandage, and Link placed his hand on top of Rhett’s for just a moment. Then, he was gone.

* * *

How they’d had three kids without any major incidents or injuries was beyond Link. His youngest hadn’t quite caught the rules of how to have a good Nerf gun battle, but he was certainly trying to keep up with his older siblings. He raced around a corner, single-shot Nerf gun doing little to stop the rain of foam-tipped darts on him.

“Daddy! Daddy!” he cried out, laughing. Link picked up the Nerf gun he’d been given and aimed, taking a shot at his oldest two long enough to distract them and give Lando a fighting chance. Lando ran, not fully looking, and Link turned just in time to see him lose his footing on the second step of the staircase.

“Lando!” Link raced over, but he wasn’t nearly fast enough, clearing two steps at a time trying to get to the bottom before Lando hit the ground. He was never going to make it, and his heart was racing. Halfway down the stairs, he saw Lando, cradled in familiar arms.

It was enough to get him to slow down. “Rhett,” he whispered. Rhett passed Lando to him quietly.

“He’s okay,” Rhett said. “I had to keep him safe. Had to keep  _ you  _ safe.”

Link held Lando, sitting down on the step and rocking him, holding close. “Thank you,” Link said. “Thank you so much, oh my god, thank you,” he said.

“Is everything okay?” Christy asked, rushing to his side. “What happened?” She’d heard enough from her oldest two to know things weren’t okay.

“He’s fine,” Link looked at her, continuing to rock Lando. “He doesn’t have a scratch on him.”

“Thank God,” she said.

“Thank you,” Link said aloud to Rhett. He was sure Christy thought his thank yous had been quiet prayers, blessings to God for saving their son, but Link knew. And Rhett knew.

“Take care of yourself,” Rhett squeezed Link’s shoulder. He knew he couldn’t stay. Link had a life, one that went beyond what he needed Rhett for. Keeping Link safe sometimes meant keeping his loved ones safe, but it wasn’t an invitation back into Link’s world, not really. Link put his hand over Rhett’s, crossed over his chest to his shoulder, but Rhett was already gone.

* * *

Link looked like a shell of himself. Rhett couldn’t get over how frail and old he looked. Years had gone by since they’d last talked, and even though Rhett had been there, seen Link’s other kids and watched him grow and change as a person, it had been a long time since Link had needed him, so eventually Rhett stopped being as present.

“Hey, Link,” Rhett said.

“I’m dying,” Link said in response, his eyes staying closed. “Can you see? I’m old.” He opened his eyes and looked at Rhett. “Oh wow. You’re looking pretty old yourself, buddyroll. Can’t believe imaginary friends age, too.”

“Well, I have to keep up with you, don’t I?” Rhett chuckled. He put his hand on Link’s. “You still look good, man. Just old. So you’re dyin’, huh? Is that what they told you?”

“I’ve got pneumonia and an infection. At this age there’s not much more they’re going to be able to do. Pretty sure I’m going to kick the bucket here soon,” Link said. “It was a good run, though.”

“Nope,” Rhett said. “You’re not giving up yet. You’ve got time left in you. You’re still kickin’. It can’t be time yet.”

“I’m tired, man,” Link said, his lips chapped and cracking.

“Close your eyes and get some sleep,” Rhett said. “I can wait here until you wake up if you want.”

“No, Rhett, I’m  _ tired _ ,” Link emphasized. He’d been on this earth for 97 years. He was ready to go. Link closed his eyes and Rhett kept holding his hand. His best friend, the one he’d watch grow up, the one he’d grown up alongside. The heart monitor beeped differently, then slowed to a solid sound.

“No!” Rhett yelled. “Link, wake up,” he shook Link. He pushed on his chest and tried CPR, tried to breathe into his lungs, tried everything. “Help!” Rhett yelled, even though he knew no one could hear him. “Someone come in here and  _ help  _ him!” Rhett pushed the nurse call button again and again.

Soon, the room was filled with people. They were trying, doing what they needed to, pulling open his hospital gown and placing a defibrillator on his chest. Link’s body jerked, but the beep still sounded. He jerked again, and still nothing. A tear fell from Rhett’s face. His best friend was gone.

* * *

Rhett sat on the ground, his arms wrapped around his legs. Without Link, he didn’t quite know what to do. His mind wandered, flitting back through the moments he and Link had shared. There had been a lot of good ones… exploring old abandoned houses in the woods as kids, the time they tried to make a blood oath in a pasture, hours spent sitting on rocks talking to each other.

Without Link, Rhett didn’t have a purpose. He’d spent his whole life watching after him, making sure Link was okay, and being right there if Link was ever in trouble. And now Link was gone, his life ended at a normal time, but still far too early for Rhett’s liking. He felt inconsolable.

“Rhett?” A small voice called out, too far away for him to see where it was coming from. But the voice, long buried in his memory, wasn’t one he could ever truly forget. Rhett stood up, much shorter than he’d been used to being for a long time. He looked down at himself, no longer old and frail but now the lanky six year old he’d been when he’d met Link for the first time, in the middle of a classroom where Link sat alone and isolated, all by himself as his peers talked and played.

“Link!” Rhett still couldn’t see where Link’s voice was coming from. “I’m here!” he yelled, praying he wasn’t imagining it.

“Rhett!” Link hollered. And then Rhett saw him, the boyish cheeks and lopsided grin, the dark hair and bright blue eyes, the playful sparkle and bright personality. He ran toward Rhett, wrapping his arms around him and tackling him to the ground. “You’re here, you’re here, you’re here,” Link repeated, wrestling him to the ground and smiling wide.

“ _ You’re  _ here,” Rhett answered. Link had been so old and frail just moments before, and the last thing Rhett wanted to do was hurt him, so he didn’t feel safe wrestling with him quite yet. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Link in a gentle, cradling hug. “And you’re young!”

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Link smiled. “And look! You have  _ wings! _ ” Link had never noticed them before, mostly because it was easier, Rhett thought, not to reveal them. They were too hard to explain, but now he didn’t have to hide them. Link reached small fingers out and touched them, tracing the feathers carefully, so gently Rhett could hardly feel.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you alive longer,” Rhett said.

“It’s okay. It was time. You want to play tag?” Link asked.

“Yeah,” Rhett smiled. “We can play as long as you want.” This time, Rhett knew Link could be whoever he wanted to be, go wherever he wanted to go, spend eternity with whoever he wanted to spend it with, and he’d chosen to spend it with his guardian angel. And this time, they had  _ forever _ .

**Author's Note:**

> All of the thanks to my muse and editor, clemwasjustagirl (shewasjustagirl on ao3).


End file.
